Still flabbergasted, Ninomae convinces himself that he’s the only one possessing the “stop-time” SPEC. He notices that the snow melting on Toma’s and Sebumi’s faces leaves red blotches but soon his very own skin reacts and erupts in bloody blisters. Falling on the ground, he writhes in pain, not understanding what’s happening.Time slowly restarts, and Toma realizes that snow entered Sebumi’s eyes, which turned white. She tells him the snow is poisoned and explains to Ninomae that it got worse for him because his time flows a thousand times faster than it does for them. In his case, the effects of the poison are instantaneous.

Woah, gotta admire her guts. She exposed herself too (and Sebumi), and admits it was a reckless gamble, but she totally won that game. I should say “they”, as the camera goes up and reveals the Baba Team, dressed in protective suits and masks.Toma shouts at them to stop the artificial snow machine and as the last flakes disappear, she notices Ninomae’s birthmark. Memories of Youta, her little brother, leave her bewildered at the thought that Ninomae could be him, when a voice chimes in: “It can’t beee~ You’re surprised about that, right?”

Having observed everything, Chii stands up, in the same coat as Mr Eraser.The rain falls, and he flatly confirms that Ninomae is her brother. Joining them, he unceremoniously grabs Ninomae by the arms and throws him against a wall, saying that he took his memories seven years ago. OMFGNOIDONTBELIEVEITMYEYESARELYING!!

Toma finally snaps out of it and confronts him on Ninomae’s age, but Chii points out that his time flows differently: a second in their world means a couple of days for him. So, even though Youta is supposed to be 13, Ninomae looks 17. Mentioning Toma’s parents plane crash, Chii guesses that Youta’s SPEC awakened at that moment, letting him survive.By now, Toma is legitimately creeped out and wonders how he knows so much. Not answering, Chii muses that seeing his dear Papa and Mama burning in flames must have been enough for Youta to wish with all his heart he could stop time.

Smirking, he kicks an already passed out Ninomae and asks Toma: “Isn’t stopping time the best SPEC you can find among humans?” Coming closer to her face, he adds: “Though the one who really controlled it was…me.”He reveals that he was the one who rewrote Ninomae’s memories in order to make him hate Toma, which explains why he said she was a “bomber”. Smugly, he says that everything went as he planned, even the victory she was so proud of, minutes ago.

Because cackling in glee isn’t enough to play Evil Genius, Chii jumps and leaps, laughing like a mad hatter. He goes to tease Sebumi, who helplessly levels his gun but can’t see a thing, and makes fun of him before hitting him.Toma doesn’t see that, still reeling from the revelation. Incredulously watching Ninomae, the truth slowly sinks in as she cries and embrace his body. Taking his hand in hers, her voice shakes as she calls out his name and remembers the young Youta smiling at her.

Ninomae reacts and feebly squeezes her hand back, whispering as if dreaming: “Big sis”. But the poison is progressing fast and he soon loses his grip. Not believing it, Toma shouts his real name, her tears falling on his face.Girl can’t mourn in pease with Crazy Chii in town and he comes to play with her. Standing up, she mutters: “It’s all your fault” and half-heartedly tries to punch him but he easily pushes her against the wall and proceeds to erase her memories. Left laying on the ground, Sebumi shouts: “Bastard”, making Chii turns his attention to him.

But when he asks about Toma, Chii’s temper flares and he violently kicks him in the head, screaming that his dear Saya’s name shouldn’t be used so carelessly. Pretending doing this for Toma’s sake, he rewrites Sebumi’s memories.Now the only one standing on the battlefield, Chii savors his victory with relish, like the nutjob that he is. *cue evil laughter of evil*Team Baba appears, prompting Chii to run to Toma’s side, playing the part of the dutiful and worried ex-boyfriend. Beurgh. Toma wakes up at the police’s hospital, surrounded by her grandma, Team Baba….and Chii. She has a vague memory of Youta, but calls it a dream, making Chii smirk.

Apparently, she slept for three days and is advised not to move too much. She wonders about Sebumi, and Chief Baba tells her he had been more exposed to the poison than her and is still temporarily blind, though he should recover soon.When she asks about Chief Nonomura, he enters, joking on his supposed SPEC but looking quite weakened with his crutch and bandages. Still, it’s enough to make Toma smile in relief.

He also tells her not to worry about Ninomae, and replies to her question about his death by saying that his case is critical and he may not survive. Chii prepared some organic tea and serves everyone, but I’m screaming at my screen for them not to drink. Jeez, that never works.The men’s chattering starts to make Toma’s head throb but they fortunately take their leave, not without teasing her about her white knight who came flying to her rescue. When she asks Chii why he was there, he smoothly affirms that she told him she was scared so he worried and rushed to her. Okay, I just can’t picture Toma say she’s scared. Very bad move, dear. And clearly, Toma feels something is off with his reply.Mirei enters Sebumi’s hospital room with a giant fruit basket. What sins has she committed in her previous life for always ending up visiting comatose patients? She wipes his forehead and sees flashes of his supposedly erased memories, ending with Toma shouting “Youta!”

Mirei understands that Ninomae is her brother and runs to Toma’s room. But the girl even needs seconds to remember Mirei’s name, so she easily brushes off any connection to Ninomae. Not giving up, Mirei touches Toma’s suitcase and gets the confirmation she wanted.She tells Toma that Ninomae has the same birthmark as Youta and this food for thought gives Toma a headache. Mirei goes to fetch her some water but it’s Chii who walks out of the kitchen, cup in hand, Mirei’s body left lying on the floor. *shivers*Peeling an apple for Toma, Chii muses that if not for Ninomae, they would already be married by now. Toma doesn’t remember being proposed to, prompting Chii to angrily touch her head to recreate her memories.

That worsen her headache but Chii doesn’t seem bothered by it, telling her that they should marry soon: “You see, when I’m not by your side, I don’t know what you’re up to. I can’t help but worry.” Weeeeeell, isn’t that the perfect speech of an abusive loving boyfriend?With her head hurting like hell, Toma asks to reply later that day on that matter. Chii spots her calculations about the Hayabusa spacecraft flight time and she says that she focused on the date and time that would be inside the spacecraft once it returned to Earth (it was launched in May 2003 and returned back in June 2010).

Chii wonders why she applied the theory of relativity to the Hayabusa and she tells him her father was involved in the development of this spacecraft. A flashback brings us back to 2003, in the Toma’s household.Her father explained to Youta the mission of the Hanabusa spacecraft while killing the boy’s dream of riding one. Creating a spaceship that could take them so far would take decades, he said, but Toma confidently assured her brother she will build one and use it to test Einstein’s Twin paradox. That led Papa Toma to calculate large numbers at lightening speed, earning Toma’s deep admiration. Apple, you certainly didn’t fall far from the tree.Standing in front of Ninomae’s cell (transformed into an emergency room), the Baba Team discovers a young teen lost under bandages and tubes. Stopping the squabble of his subordinates, Chief Baba enjoins them to focus on the case, which is still not closed for him. He used to not believe in the “detective’s instincts” crap, but this time something feels strange. Go for it!Playing「将棋」- Shogi (Japanese Chess) with an old man, Chii explains that he prefers it compared to the common chess, because of the Shogi’s drop rule (once you capture a piece, it becomes yours and you can bring it back into play under your control).

The old man, who is apparently the head of this super secret international organization we heard about since Episode 1, likens that rule to Chii’s SPEC. Having being contacted by other organizations (like the Freemasonry) interested in this ability, he offers Chii to connect him.Chii casually says that he’s going to be a scenario writer, when the old man asks what he’s up to, with Ninomae gone. Changing the world according to his scenarios is what he wants, and he wonders if it’s not about time to plan a new war. The boss doubts he can do it but Chii counters. It’s really easy if you just rewrite the memories of some people, to cultivate hatred and let terrorism begin.

Switching topics, the old man questions him on his obsession with Toma. Originally, it was just a game, to defeat Ninomae and Chii enjoyed seeing siblings fighting each other in real life but turned out to be impressed with Toma’s brain in the process. That made him love her, and now he wants all of her heart. Rare, medium or well done?Totally in his own world, his tone grows menacing as the idea of not winning her. Now, why did he brought Sebumi in the game, you may ask? Simple, his love story needed a rival. This guy watched too many K-dramas. He even wrote him to be the tortured soul we got to know, and giggles at this perfect first scene of his scenario.

Looking at him with judging eyes, the old man clicks his piece on the board: “You’re not popular, right?”. Ha. He goes on: “You’re the world’s most….annoying guy.” Pfft, I love his face there.Winning thanks to a modest pawn, he muses that when it awakens, it becomes the most valuable piece.

But more importantly, he calls him “Tsuda-kun”! Wuuuuuut? Chii flips his lid, knocking over the shogi-ban, and stands up to tower the boss. “You inferior SPEC-less.” Shouting at him not to talk so disrespectfully, his whole body morphs back and forth into Chii and Tsuda. Raising a gun, Tsuda shoots.Searching Sebumi’s room, Toma finally finds it and enters, wondering aloud how long he’ll stay in bed. But soon she spots the fruit basket and rushes to smell the treasure. In case you’re still wondering how awesome she can be, she frickin’ eats her fruits with「ふりかけ」- Furikake and mayo. That says it all. She’s made of pure coolness, this girl.Her foodgasm wakes Sebumi, whose arm instinctively tries to smack her but misses its goal. Still groggy, he calls her “stupid tongue” and fails again at punishing the fruits stealer. Feeling nostalgic (does she remember clearly or not?), Toma offers her head for him to slap and he holds back his hand, saying: “Don’t eat and I don’t hit” before passing out again. Haha, I love how it sounds in English. And, aw, they’re too cute for words.He soundly snores and she gives him a shake to no avail. Later, Chii finds her sleeping by Sebumi’s bed, and….well, he should apply to the Creepiest Creepy Creeper Awards. But contrary to my expectations, he just orders Toma to wake up. She does, and muses that she feels strangely safe here, while looking at Sebumi.

Turning to Chii, visibly annoyed, she asks if he’s jealous but he dismisses the idea, grabbing her hand to drag her out. In her room, Toma announces she’s going to sleep, so Chii prepares to leave. He stops, though, and turns to kiss her….but meets her fist instead. How gratifying.She tsk-tsks him but he counters when she calls him an old pervert: “You know, we’re dating!” Methinks no means no, dating or not. Toma relents and sits, making the “chuuu~” sound as she puckers her lips. Chii leans in and they’re millimeters apart when the nurse appears, making them scramble to pretend nothing happened. This. Calls. For. A. Gif.

Repositioning Miyabi-chan’s picture in its original place (covering an other one in the process), Chief Nonomura is startled to see her barging in. She’s here to announce her plan: pass the bar exam and steal him away from his wife, called Miyabi, and his ex-wife called (wait for it) Miyabi!

Right on cue, a woman enters, calling out Nonomura’s name as she runs to hug him, her hands joined just like in the picture hidden behind Young Miyabi’s. Hmm, you may not look like it, but you’re quite the ladies man.Surprising her grandma, Toma comes home, musing that she’s now a fugitive. She goes in her room, and looks at old pictures, taken aback when a tear falls from her eye. Her grandma teases her, but Toma doesn’t know why she’s feeling emotional.

Looking through her university diary, she asks if she’s always been friends with Chii (whom she still call “Lefty”), and her grandma brings an old box filled with pictures of Toma, saying that Chii took them all back when she was in Kyoto University. My stalker radar is buuuuurning.Here he is, creepily eating Tsuda’s trademark BBQ on a stick while waiting for Ninomae to die. The latter opens his eyes and tries to snap his fingers but that only cause the patient monitor to go beeeeep as Chii excitedly giggles.

He dashes to Sebumi’s room and asks if he remembers him but Sebumi doesn’t react. Until Chii mentions Toma, that is. Angry at his selective memory, Chii proceeds to erase any trace of Toma.Back in her hospital room, Toma meditates and has vague flashes of Youta. Walking in the hallway, she catches Chief Baba announcing to his team that Ninomae just died. AFGHLBH!!Burnt fragments of memories continue to cross Toma’s mind but she stops them. Preparing for her calligraphy ritual, she can’t get started as nothing comes. But she notices the ink dripping from her brush, shaping into a star form, and it’s enough to make her remember Youta’s birthmark.

Now ready, she writes down her key words as Sebumi suddenly wakes up, breathing heavily. Toma’s memories kick back in, while Sebumi fights with himself, rolling over and ripping his clothes off. RaawwwrrNOT. She writes the names of the people she knows, each attached to flashes (Chii’s ones include his revelation).She stops to focus on a name, and says: “I remember”. How symbolic it is that when she writes Sebumi’s name, he’s painfully struggling physically and mentally in his bed.

Toma: “I couldn’t possibly forget that. Such an important thing.”

Ripping her work, along the pictures taken by Chii, she holds the pieces close to her chest. “My heart…remembers it all.” She throws everything and concentrates, in a beautifully edited sequence.

After her “Itadakimashita” moment, we see her from behind, wrestling with a pliers, her cast removed. Dammit, what the dickens are you doing?Literally looking down upon a crowd of people heading to work, Chii receives a message from Toma: “The reply to your proposal, do you want to hear it? Do you?”. A smile/smirk/sneer later, he enters a church where Toma casually eats her McDonald’s meal. Jesus is watching you, share some!

She muses that this church looks like the St Marks one in Kyoto and he agrees. Hum, you’re alone with Toma, and she smiles like that. I believe you may want to crap your pants. Before answering his proposal, she comes up with a question: why does he want to marry her?He answers that of course it’s because he loves her so much, from the depths of his non-existing heart. But when your girl is busy cleaning her ear while you’re professing your undying love, that doesn’t bode well for your plan. Looking straight at him, she says that it never seemed to her that they were dating. He tries to laugh it off but she strikes the blow: “There has never been a St Marks church in Kyoto”.She stands up and faces him, spelling it out for him: she never loved him, don’t love him and will certainly never love him. He counters, affirming they had a lot of dates, and mentions the pictures to prove his point. Toma takes out the pictures she ripped in her calligraphy ritual, and wonders if he’s speaking about them.

She calls that “stalker photos” and throws the stack on the floor. Walking on them, she comments that he obviously forged all of his evidences, though he couldn’t properly modify the pictures.Seconds tick by until Chii breaks into a wide smile: “I’ve been exposed”, instantaneously followed by Toma’s comment: “Disgusting”. Kicking his pictures, she confronts his method, taking people’s memories to rewrite them to what’s more convenient for him.

He surely thought that people would act the way he wanted them to, but she will never bend to his whims. He may rewrite her memories again and again, that won’t change the fact that she is who she is. Indifferent to her burst of anger, Chii muses that his encounter with her saved him from a hundred years of solitude.Playing the sensitive card, he pretends that now it’s his turn to save her from her solitude. If she becomes his, she won’t ever experience pain, sadness or all those hardships suffered by humans.

Looking at him as if she’s feeling sorry for him, for not understanding this simple thing, Toma states that the pain and sadness he’s speaking about are important assets to her. Chii sneers that she must be ready to live on with the guilt of having killed her brother, calling her a “murderer”.She smiles. “I’m prepared to live with my sins. No matter how painful, I won’t run away from this pain.” Actually, forgetting about Youta would be much more painful, she says. Teaching him what it means to be a human, she explains that people experience pain and anguish and overcome them.Chii rolls his eyes, but she goes on. He caused way too much pain to her loved ones for her to contain her anger. “I want you to pay for your sins.” Chii stops her, indignant over her words. Sins? What sins? Does she have evidence, witnesses? He scoffs, pointing out that he made sure to erase Sebumi’s and Mirei’s memories. Argh, you little…Taunting her, he wonders if her own memories aren’t just delusions. Toma understands that she won’t get anything from this coward that way, and pulls out a gun from her sling. He swiftly kicks it and grabs her head, throwing her away. Toma ends on the floor, bearing Chii’s blows.

She tries to escape but he tosses her again and crushes her valid hand with his foot, her cries fueling him even more. Eventually he stops, as Toma’s hand bleeds profusely while she struggles to breathe.Regaining his composure, it’s as if he’s speaking to himself as he makes it clear that he’ll go scot-free even if he kills her, because he’ll rewrite the memories of witnesses and blame the crime on someone else.

Theorizing on the truth, he says that it didn’t exist. Even if you suppose it does, it changes over time. As soon as it becomes a memory, the truth can easily be altered, and as you grow, memories fade. When you die, it vanishes. Damn, there is some truth (har har) to his words, I must say.Hence, truth or memories are completely useless to him and he jeers at the stupid humans for caring about it so much. Sebumi’s voice counters: “It doesn’t matter if we’re stupid!” Omomomomomomo. Sebu-chan! Still blind and physically handicapped, he’s helped by Mirei to hold his gun.

He snarls at Chii to get away from Toma, and Mirei shows her hand, explaining that she regained all of her memories thanks to her SPEC. How ironic, I love it. She must have felt that something was off, as we see her in a flashback, frantically touching Toma’s and Sebumi’s pillows. Why so cool, you?Chii gives her a creepy stare, regretting not having erased her SPEC before. He says he’ll do it later but Sebumi contradicts him. Chii may try to erase his memories over and over again, they won’t disappear. Since Chii doesn’t get how it works, Sebumi-sensei breaks it down to him: humans’ memories don’t only exist in their heads.

Take your nose, for example, it will remember someone who always smells of garlic. Toma (and I) almost tears up. Your whole body will remember the pain of your wounds. By intuition, Sebumi feels that he can’t let Chii live, and when the latter criticizes his logic, he roars at him not to underestimate a detective’s spirit.Chii hmphs at his insults, and next thing we know, Mirei and Sebumi are hit by strange shadows moving at light speed. Sebumi asks if that’s also Chii’s power, making him heartily laugh. No, it isn’t. Many SPEC holders are surrounding the church to protect him, he says, as he suspected an ambush.

Sebumi is beaten to a bloody pulp while Chii smugly takes an automatic firearm handed by one of the shadows. He points it at Toma, sweetly asking her to reconsider, if she wants to save her friends.Being the badass that she is, she yells at him to shoot and Mirei follows suit, screaming at the “stalker bastard” to shoot her instead because she’ll never let him have Toma. But Sebumi is not one to be out of the loop, and he joins the Save Toma Union, yelling at Chii/Tsuda to bring it on. Oy, did you all decided to have a contest for “Awesomest Partner of the Year” or what?Sebumi swears he’ll stop the bullets with his「気合」- Kiai (Spirit, as in martial arts), prompting Mirei to believe he has a SPEC, but no, he’s really just speaking of his fighting spirit. Keh.

He’s practically blind but manages to spot a place where light hits him enough for him to see blurry forms. Should I point the symbolism of this place, facing the cross-shaped window?As Chii is about to shoot him, Sebumi spits his friggin’ tooth, piercing Chii’s forehead. o___O What. The. Putain. de. Heck. Was. THAAAT? I’m simply speechless at this ultimate move. Chii stumbles and falls, rolling in pain just when Toma stands up.Joining Sebumi’s side, she says that this fight isn’t over until she’s dead. Sick of his game, she tells him to go sink in his hundred years of solitude alone. You go giiiiiirl! Removing her sling, she touches Sebumi’s head with her cast, ordering him to bite it. He complies and reveals Toma’s new hand, SEWN BACK! HOLYFOLLYMOLLY! Can’t you let me catch my breath, Show? I’m still recovering from Sebumi’s attack!As if that wasn’t enough, we jump to an other scene. Looking at Ninomae’s dead body, Chief Nonomura prays for his soul but suddenly jumps back in shock, having seen something we don’t see. *GRRRRBBBBBBMMMMM*

Chii loads his weapon as Toma readies her own gun (modified to fit her handicapped hand), using Sebumi’s head as a support. Because teamwork is awesome that way. Her hand doesn’t budge, but she concentrates every brain cell she has into pulling the trigger, finally shouting at her hand to move. It does, just when Chii’s bullets fly towards her. How uneven.AND….Time stops!

The camera pans in a very cool sequence, highlighting the tension between the frozen opponents. Through Chii’s gun sight, a white form is seen in a blink-and-you-miss-it moment, and time restarts. All of Chii’s bullets were redirected to him, and his body takes them all.

Sebumi immediately thinks of Ninomae while Chii shakes in his agony, gathering his last breath to yell at Ninomae to come out. But nothing happens, and he’s left wondering who did it. Not for long, though, as he looks at Toma, muttering: “That can’t be…” before dropping down dead, next to a picture of her.Intrigued, Mirei glances at Toma and Sebumi instinctively tilts his head towards her, but she stands straight and victorious, with a hint of a smile on her face.Epilogue:

Outside the church, Gyoza Chef-Tin Man cooks in a street food stall version of his restaurant, serving……a new Tsuda! Tsuda V.4 answers a phone call, announcing himself as the head of Unit Zero. He says that the “situation” has been taken care of, before vanishing on the spot.Sebumi and Toma ends the part, and she points her finger at the viewers, warning us that she absolutely won’t make a movie. *pats her head*

How can I do this series justice? I don’t know, but I’ll try. This was pure genius, and I’m still reeling, weeks after watching this episode. This recap had been particularly painful to write, as I revised again and again my words, wanting to plunge into every SPEC mystery, but that was too much.

I wonder if I didn’t push back the release of this post by fear of making the end real, since most of the text has been written two weeks ago. To be really honest, I felt a bit disappointed at the end of the finale, compared to the previous episodes, as I believed there were too many twists and what-the-fuck moments packed into 45 minutes, and not enough explanations. I’m all for open endings, but it was more like an entire season was missing here. To put it bluntly, it didn’t feel like a finale. Actually, it still doesn’t.But, after watching it over and over again, (oh, the power of repetition), and what’s more, after seeing the SP, I have come to terms with this (fake) finale.

I totally suck at working out theories and whatnot, so I won’t try here especially so late in the game, but damn if this episode didn’t bring a whole new slate of question. Tsuda keeps being the big ol’ question mark (I’d say the mystery grew even bigger with the epilogue), what about the super international organization, Gyoza Chef-Tin Man, Chii…CHII?

Gosh, that was unexpected, to say the least. Making a teenager, lone wolf to boot, the Big Baddie seemed quite weak so this twist was thrilling. As I said, I suck at theories, so I never suspected Chii. Quite the contrary, I believed he was Toma’s normality compass, the shelter she could return to. EPIC FAIL!!I can confidently say that it’s the first time in a looooong time that a drama has clutched my heart this badly. This series combines the perfect Trifecta: writing, directing, acting, and even more. I take my hat off to Director Tsutsumi Yukihiko and Writer Nishiogi Yumie.

They inserted so many details in each episode, I felt frustrated not being able to master the language enough to get all the references sprinkled here and there. The titles for example, were especially tricky to translate. I remember asking some Japanese friends, and they all gave me the same “because we’re friends, I’ll overlook that” face, but that’s okay because I know they’re still not ready to face the Awesome.What amazed me, though, was that they ALL had a hard time with the kanjis chosen for the titles, and there’s one episode we couldn’t decipher the meaning because it just made no sense. For this one, 百年の孤独 (One Hundred Years of Solitude), it automatically made me think of Gabriel García Márquez’s most famous novel.

Of course, the story is completely different, but the theme of solitude works brilliantly here. Like García Márquez’s characters, Chii let his solitude turn him into an incredibly selfish and egocentric man. He tried to escape it by convincing himself that he came to love Toma, but that wasn’t true love and it totally backfired on him. He should have know, though. It was a little detail, but she never called him by his name, using derogatory nicknames and kept a security distance she didn’t bother to have with Sebumi.There’s so much to spazz about Toma, I’m thinking about writing a thesis about her superior awesomeness. She has made her entry into my private Panthéon of badass heroines, joining Yankumi (manga version, mind you!) and Buffy. Which is something incredible, when you realize she’s a Japanese drama female lead! Where’s the bubbly, the plucky, the perky, the cute, the pollyannaish? Hint: not here.

And when you pair up this kick-ass heroine with such a well-matched hero, you may expect some sparkles. At the beginning of the show, Sebumi and Toma came as complete opposites, but realized somewhere in the middle that they both complete each other quite well. It helps that they have an incredibly chemistry together, and bring out the best —and sometimes the worst— of the other. When I think that I didn’t find Sebumi attractive at first….

Oh, silly me. Don’t look at me like that, honey!I so loved the fact that they didn’t try to hammer the viewers with romance, because we all know Toma and Sebumi couldn’t care less about that, but rather let us imagine what could happen. Or not. I always felt more of a siblings vibe up until now, but began to see the potential romance with the finale. The scene at Sebumi’s hospital room, when Toma ate his fruit basket and placed her head so that he can hit it killed me. You can’t beat this OTP.I tried to watch BOSS in an attempt of sniffing whatever could remind me of the epicness of SPEC, but had to turn off after the first episode. Of course I would. SPEC is unique, and has a distinct flavor I can’t find anywhere else.

Thanks to the actors (Toda Erika was born to be Toma), who certainly had a fucking blast playing these characters, and the scenario, but mostly because of the editing and music. The way it was filmed and edited gave to the series a particular atmosphere, fitting perfectly with its quirky plots. And you will need to see it in motion to get my point, so WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?True, here and there you can find some gaps or points that will certainly raise some eyebrows but, you know what? I. Don’t. Give. A. Damn. I love this show to bits and it has totally given me what I wanted: entertainment. Its formula gets me right there: I laugh, cry, gasp, scream and curse (wait, scratch that one, I always curse) in the span of 45 minutes. How can I express how happy am I that SPEC got to be my first completed recap project?

I’ll quote darkeyedwolf to conclude. SPEC: this is what awesome looks like.

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16 thoughts on “SPEC ~ First Blood – Finale”

Not reading this, not reading this, not reading this…. because guess what! I started watching! Only two episodes in, but I don’t want any spoilers! So I’m going to have to come back to all your First Blood posts once I’m through with watching.

Love Toma! She rocks the world. Especially when she’s eating. (Can’t figure out the fakely-Spanish speaking person in that gyoza eatery though. Don’t know if you speak Spanish but that woman is always saying “Necessito seguro” {I need insurance}).

I just finished watching SPEC and SPEC ~Sho~. This Tsuda charater really intrigued me a lot, so i googled and ended up here. Wanna ask a few questions here.

1) In ep10, during the shogi scene, a Chii/Tsuda apparition appears before Tsuda kills the old man. The old man also calls him Tsuda. So Chii is the real person here and impersonates Tsuda with the help of an off-screen SPEC holder? The clue is from when Ninomae bade farewell to his mother and asks Chii to give her a new face and memory. I assume Chii also get this specific SPEC holder to give him Tsuda’s appearance. This brings me to my next question.

2) Do you think the Tsuda (let’s call him 1st Tsuda) who watched over Reizen and subsequently got kidnapped by Ninomae and Sebumi is also Chii in disguise? If he isn’t, that makes Chii the 3rd Tsuda we see.

3) The 2nd Tsuda we see, the one with specs and who recruited Sebumi into Zero, is he again portrayed by actor Shiina Kippei? The Chii-Tsuda and the gyoza-eating Tsuda (4th?) after ep10’s end-credits i could recognise as Shiina Kippei, but not the 2nd Tsuda 😦

(By the way, the gyoza-eating Tsuda is the same one who appears in Sho. They have the same SPEC.)

What do you guys think? I wanna hear alternative views. Hope i didn’t reveal any spoilers. Thanks for reading the long post.

Hello fellow addict~
Hmm, as I said, I suck at theories, so my first move would be to lead you there (hint: the comments would interest you, if you’re focused on Tsuda’s case) and there

I’ll go on supposing you read them.
I believe there are two organizations: Agressor (Unit Zero – within the police forces) and Subcode (an “evil” international secret society). Chii was supposed to work for the “evil” Subcode, but the old man reveals that he knows Tsuda is inside his body (if you agree with the fact that the original Tsuda has the SPEC to occupy a body and show himself when he wants). That also explains why he killed the old man. Being enemies, it seems more logic that Tsuda kills him, rather than just a “normal” Chii going crazy.

In the SP, the new chief Ichiyanagi is apparently Tsuda as well, at least for a short moment (Nonomura threatens him to say where is the Dead End, and calls him “Tsuda-kun”.) Nonomura knows there is a traitor and maybe it’s Tsuda himself. First, he appears at a secret meeting gathering important SPECs (the Imperial Council) and introduces himself as a SPEC holder. Later, the construction worker inside the Dead End is seen eating Tsuda’s trademark BBQ stick, and forces the other SPEC holders to join him. When Nozomi tastes the worker’s blood, she can’t help but be disgusted. Because of Tsuda’s interference?
In the end, Ichiyanagi kills him, outraged at the “traitor” who dared call himself “Tsuda”. “You’re the traitor who has stained Tsuda Sukehiro’s personal history”
So the bomber jacket Tsuda (seen in the finale and here) was most likely a fake…

oh, and on a finale note, it’s the same actor playing Tsuda. I’ve seen TV shows featuring the cast, and even in the credits it’s the same actor.

I’d been neglecting J-Dramas for a while, but recently the movie SPEC~Heaven opened where i live (Singapore) and i got a chance to watch it. Have you watched it yet?

The Tsuda mystery all becomes clear in the movie. My inquisitive nature made me ‘over-think’ the character that is Tsuda, i now realised it doesn’t matter how many Tsudas appear. As the bespectacled Tsuda correctly mentioned, Sukehiro Tsuda is ‘public domain’, when one falls another swiftly appears to replace him.

Back in May when i first posted on your blog, i questioned the Shogi scene in ep10. After watching the movie and re-watching the drama, my conclusion is that after the bespectacled Tsuda got killed on the bus (the failed raid on Ninomae), Chii took up the mantle of Tsuda. The apparition of him switching to Tsuda is simply the drama’s way of hinting us.

But, the original, real Tsuda has always been hiding in the shadows and gets body doubles (Chii is one) to do his work. This is explained in the movie (hint: Ichiyanagi). After all, he is ‘public domain’ which makes for an easy target. Thus, it is better that he hid.

Overall, the movie ties up events of the drama and the SP, but unfortunately the plot is a bit confusing (i watched it twice to fully understand it) and it ends with a cliffhanger!!!!

Hi! Was watching the spec special earlier cus we got it recorded on tv and it was the first time I watched it! Was googling about spec as I watch it etc etc, crap it’s so interesting!
I think I will have to watch it all (probably
With subs for the many details I have missed out) my friends had watched the movie like quite some time as well, ooh i doubt it’s still on idk… Thank you for the recap, it’s been hard on you!!!

yeah I’m stalking this post again and just saw the part about BOSS. I just want to say BOSS has an awesomeness of its own, but it’s not for everyone. I loved it because I like dorky dramas. That and I love Amami Yuki. It’s all for the humor, not really for the plot/making the detectives look smart. >.<

I am reminiscing about SPEC and still have yet to see the SP. I can't wait for your SP post! *-*

I also tried watching BOSS (again) after i was finished watching SPEC + the SP just to see Eri play another role again but hell i was bored.. I think Toma is her best role interpretation so far and i saw a lot of dramas with Eri..
and i totally had the same thoughts about Sebumi in the beginning. found him really unattractive but by the end of the drama i fell more and more in love with him XD Its not always about the looks! but sadly all people are shallow in this world when its about surface impression..even if we dont want to.
hehe~ anways. awesome recap again 🙂 Cant wait for the movie to be released (subbed ofc)..